Wednesday 27th February, 2008

Thrown out of tournament by young Indians SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka D. Perera b I. Sharma 8 S. Jayasuriya ct Dhoni b Pathan 34 K. Sangakkara ct Dhoni b Kumar 33 M. Jayawardene ct R. Sharma b Kumar 3 C. Silva ct Dhoni b Kumar 0 T. Dilshan lbw b I Sharma 8 C. Kapugedera ct & b H. Singh 57 Lanka's day of shame C. Vaas ct Gambhir b I. Sharma 0 L. Malinga ct Uthappa b I. Sharma 12 M. Muralitharan b Kumar 13 Kapugedara added a crucial 43 run I. Amerasinghe 0 stand for the eighth with Lasith Extras (lb 5, w 6) 11 Malinga (12) and another 40 runs for the Total: all out 179 ninth wicket with Muttiah Muralitharan Overs: 47.1 (13). The tail-enders proved that there Fall of : 1-15, 2-72, 3-77, 4-81, 5-81, were no demons in the wicket with two 6-93, 7-93, 8-139, 9-179. fine partnerships and had the estab- Bowling: Patel 9-0-51-0 (1w), I. Sharma 10- lished batsmen applied themselves, Sri 0-41-4 (2w), Pathan 10-2-23-1, Kumar 10-2- Lanka could have definitely posted a 31-4 (2w), H. Singh 4.1-0-17-1, Y. Singh 4-0- competitive total. 11-0 (1w). Sangakkara, who had made 192 in the Test match here three months ago, start- ed the Sri Lankan slide when he charged India down the wicket to Praveen Kumar and R. Uthappa ct Amerasinghe b Malinga 11 poked his bat and was comfortably S. Tendulkar ct Silva b Muralitharan 63 caught by wicketkeeper M.S. Dhoni and G. Gambhir not out 63 that triggered an amazing collapse dur- Y. Singh ct Dilshan b Perera 36 ing 30 minutes of mayhem. R. Sharma not out 3 Kumar struck twice in successive Extras (w 4) 4 overs removing Jayawardene and Total: for three wickets 180 Chamara Silva. He had the Sri Lankan Overs: 32.2 well caught by Rohit Sharma at point for three and Silva's dismal tour Did not bat: I. Pathan, M.S. Dhoni, P. might have come to an end when he was Kumar, H. Singh, I. Sharma, M.M. Patel caught behind without scoring. Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-120, 3-171. Jayasuriya had shown a glimpse of Bowling: Vaas 6-0 -29-0, Malinga 6-0-36-1 (From L-R): India's Praveen Kumar (4-31), who was the Man of the Match, after taking a wicket, plays a shot retuning to form with a 44 ball 34 that (3w), Amerasinghe 7-0-40-0, Muralitharan during his match-winning knock of 63 and (63 n.o.) plays a shot during their Tri-Series One-Day International included two fours and a typical cut for 8.2-0-54-1 (1w), Jayasuriya 1-0-4-0 Perera 4- encounter against Sri Lanka in Hobart, Australia, yesterday (Feb. 26). India won by seven wickets to meet the hosts in a best- six before he mistimed a hook shot off 0-17-1- of-three final round. (AP Pix/Rob Griffith) Irfan Pathan and at 81 for five, the side was in deep trouble. Toss: India Ishant Sharma came back for his sec- Result: India won by seven wickets Rex Clementine ond spell and picked up Dilshan and Man of the Match: P. Kumar (India) reporting from Hobart Chaminda Vaas in successive overs. While Dilshan was trapped leg before Next Match: Sri Lanka vs Australia at MCG on Friday Statements such as 'great challenge' wicket, Vaas' attempted pull was taken and 'desperately need to win' have been cleanly by the mid-wicket fielder and at Umpires: Rudi Koertzen (RSA) and very much part of Sri Lanka captain 93 for seven, the writing was on the wall Simon Taufel (AUS) Mahela Jayawardene's vocabulary dur- as they had lost six wickets for the addi- 3rd Umpire: B. Oxenford (AUS) ing the Commonwealth Bank Series. tion of just 21 runs. Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ) But Sri Lanka failed to put the words Kapugedara then fought back in ter- into action once again, and crashed out rific fashion, but the task he was faced of the tri-nation series in the most with was too much. 89th half-century. humiliating fashion, losing their penul- Kumar finished with four for 31 while Tendulkar started off in fine fashion timate game of the first round to India lasted just 11 balls, Chamara Silva adding 57 runs for the second wicket, Sharma had figures of four for 41. by hitting Amarasinghe's last three balls here in Hobart by seven wickets with 106 just four balls and Tillekeratne and they were set for a big one with the Jayawardene had been calling for his of his first over for fours. He did the balls to spare on Tuesday. Dilshan 12 balls and for the millions total at 72 for one in the 15th over. players to raise their game, but he wasn't same to Muralitharan soon after he was This performance has to be the worst of rupees that Sri Lanka Cricket pays But from thereon, they lost four wick- leading by example. Having contributed introduced to the attack, hitting succes- effort by a Sri Lankan team in a tri- them, if that's all what they can ets for the addition of just nine runs as with just three runs with the bat, he put sive boundaries off the off-spinner. nation series in Australia, since their offer, there'll be millions of others India's seamers ripped through the mid- down Robin Uthappa before he had But Murali won this battle with first tour here in 1985. willing to come forward do exactly dle order in the space of just 32 balls. opened his account to deny Chaminda Tendulkar as the opener, playing the This team has won just one game in the same! Sri Lankan Cricket cer- It was an absolute shocking display Vaas another wicket in the series. inside out drive was caught in the deep seven outings and even Sri Lankan tainly needs to ask some harsh ques- by the batsmen, who showed no applica- Then Gautam Gambir got a life when by Chamara Silva. teams of the 1980s managed a single win, tions and find out what has made its tion whatsoever, barring Chamara he slashed hard at a Ishara Amarasinghe Tendulkar made 63 in 54 balls with and more importantly, those days there cricket team the laughing stock Kapugedara who made a resolute 57 in 86 and the ball flew past the cap- ten nicely executed fours. weren't as many one-sided games as it among millions of cricket fans. balls. tain at first slip. Muralitharan's eight overs, however, were on this occasion. They desperately needed to win here Kapugedara was last man out, having After a good bowling effort, the went for 54 runs as the batsmen took a So fragile was Sri Lanka's middle to stay alive in the competition and after completed his second ODI fifty and if not Indian batsmen rubbed salt into the few liberties against him. Gautam order that number four five and six last- being put in, despite losing Dilruwan for his partnerships with tail-enders, Sri wounds of the Sri Lankans, scoring at Gambir continued his good form in the ed less time in the middle. Perera (8), early, they excelled in perfect Lanka were heading for further humilia- 5.5 runs an over. Tendulkar had been out series and was unbeaten on 63, as India Of the seven batsmen that Sri batting conditions with Kumar tion, with even a three figure total look- of form the whole series and he warmed won with plenty of overs to spare. Lanka picked yesterday, the skipper Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya ing beyond their reach. up for the big final on Sunday with his Ryder apologises for misbehavior 18-year-old stuns South Asian champion WELLINGTON, New glass panel at Christchurch bar Ryder had been out drinking Zealand (AP) - Troubled New early on Sunday morning. Eye until 1:30 a.m. on the night before Ambepitiya emulates Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder witnesses later said Ryder abused New Zealand's final limited overs apologised Tuesday for a series of staff and demanded preferential international against England at alcohol-fueled incidents which treatment when his injury was Christchurch on Saturday. have left him injured and out of tended at Christchurch Hospital Those incidents, which add international play for at least later that day. to an already checkered discipli- coach Gunawardena three months. New Zealand Cricket was nary record, have now placed by Reemus Fernando beat the 11-second barrier in the Ryder, 23, seriously injured still coping with the fallout from Ryder's international future in 100 meters when he clocked 10.90 his right hand when he punched a those stories when it learned jeopardy. Eighteen-year-old Shehan seconds in 1968. Ambepitiya stunned the South “As a teenager I was able to Asian Games 100-meter Gold beat D.K. Podimahaththaya, the medalist Umanga Surendra when then national champion in 100 National Colours Awards —22008 he produced a timing of 10.60 sec- meters in 1968. And this youngster onds to win the men’s 100 meters too has stunned the senior nation- in the final day of trials conduct- al athletes,” said an elated coach. ed to select the team for the forth- Meanwhile Gunwardena was coming South Asian Athletic hopeful that the speedster from championship, at the Sugathadasa Gateway College could emulate Stadium, yesterday. him when he takes part in the Coupon for Selection Ambepitiya produced a South Asian Athletic ‘beyond his age feat’ as he beat the Championship in India early next South Asian Games Gold medalist month. Name of Most Popular Sportsman ...... Sports...... Surendra by 0.13 seconds to book “In 1968, I beat the national his place in the Sri Lankan con- champion in the same fashion in a Name of Most Popular Sportswoman ...... Sports ...... tingent for the Athletic trial to select a team to represent Name of Junior Sportsman ...... Sports...... Championship in India. Having Sri Lanka in Thailand. And I won erased the Junior South Asian Shehan Ambepitiya (Files) the Gold in Thailand Open Name of Junior Sportswoman ...... Sports ...... 200-meter record just two days ago Athletic Championship in 1968 was immediately acknowledged Name of the Voter...... at the Inter International Schools clocking 21.60 seconds in the 200 meet a the same venue, by Gunawardena who offered a meters. And, I am very much opti- Address:...... Ambepitiya brushed shoulders glowing tribute to the feat of the mistic that Ambepitiya would speedster...... with seasoned senior sprinters to emulate me at the South Asian emerge as the country’s top speed- “I am proud that he has done Athletic Championship in India,” I.D. Number: ...... ster yesterday. something unique as an 18-year- said Gunawardena. Coached by veteran Sunil old. I feel as if I am reborn in him He was also optimistic that Please paste this coupon only on a postcard and post it to the following address: Gunawardena, young as he is doing what I did some 40 Ambepitiya would go on to bring Ambepitiya’s performance years ago,” said Gunawardena glory to Sri Lanka in circuits “Director General, Sports Development Department, who was the first schoolboy to No. 33, Torrington Place, Colombo 7” against seasoned campaigners, beyond the South Asian region.

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